Frozen co-director Jennifer Lee has revealed she initially wanted to get rid of Olaf after seeing the first cut of the hit animated movie. The chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation came aboard the project halfway through production, and had to be convinced by actor Josh Gad to keep Anna and Elsa's sidekick around.
"My first note was, 'kill the snowman'," Lee, who went on to helm the film with Chris Buck, admitted, after being honored with the Distinguished Storyteller gong at the Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, December 4. Determined to change her mind, Gad teamed up with a "sneaky" staff animator to create a three-page script that highlighted the endlessly optimistic character's charms – and it worked.
During her speech, per Variety, Lee also noted that she looked forward to embarking on more "creative adventures" with Gad in the future. "And no, that is not an announcement," she joked.
Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen, Frozen, which was released in 2013, centers on Anna (Kristen Bell), a young princess who joins forces with an iceman, his reindeer, and a very talkative snowman to bring her reclusive, ice-powered sister Elsa (Idina Menzel) home. Its follow-up, Frozen 2, came out in theaters in November 2019.
Olaf appeared in both movies and even went on to front his own holiday special Olaf's Frozen Adventure and miniseries Olaf Presents.
Frozen is streaming on Disney Plus now. If you're in the mood to watch something else but can't decide what, check out our list of the best movies on Disney Plus for some viewing inspiration.
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